LONG BEACH – Students from several Cal State campuses delivered thousands of letters Wednesday protesting a 10 percent fee increase set to begin in the 2007-08 school year.

“It’s basically their cry for help and they’re letting the Board of Trustees know that they want them to fight for students,” said Raul Rodriguez, a sociology major at Cal State San Bernardino and member of Students for Quality Education. “The cost (of the fee hike) is making an extremely difficult barrier for students to overcome.”

Rodriguez joined a dozen students from Southern California’s Cal State campuses during a Board of Trustees meeting at the chancellor’s office in Long Beach. About 7,000 signed letters gathered at campus rallies were presented, many with handwritten portions that tell the impact the hike would have on students already struggling to pay for higher education.

More students last week delivered the letters to the state Capitol, asking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators to increase the portion the state contributes from its general fund.

According to the California Faculty Association, CSU fees have nearly doubled in the last five years – from $1,428 in 2002 to $2,772 this year.

Rodriguez said the students were received well by the trustees, and at one point were invited to join leaders lobbying in Sacramento against a $7 million cut.

“Hopefully, they will keep their word,” he said.

And though university officials in the past have said that Cal State schools are affordable when compared to other universities, Students for Quality Education said that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone can afford to attend them.

“We’re paying more now than we’ve ever paid, but we’re not getting additional classes or resources,” Rodriguez said.

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a CSU trustee member, last week also expressed his opposition to the fee increase, saying that it jeopardizes the state’s workforce.

“It is critical that we invest in our students and ensure that they can afford a college education,” he said in a May 7 statement. “California’s continued leadership and success depend upon our ability to adequately prepare our students to address the future needs of our state.”

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